Q: You write, “We all need more than one source of income
today. Relying solely on a single employer is a sure-fire way to end up
struggling, as so many Americans do.” How did you come to that conclusion, and
what percentage of Americans has more than one source of income?

A: The simple fact that no one can guarantee their current
job -- we're all vulnerable to lay-offs -- means that we all need more than one
source of income. Otherwise, we, and by default, our families, are simply too
vulnerable. I couldn't live with that kind of vulnerability, which is why I
decided I had to launch a side business. I quickly learned that many other
people feel the same way.

As for numbers, the best ones I could find come from the Young Entrepreneur
Council, which found that one in three 20-somethings have launched
side-businesses. When it comes to older Americans, MetLife has found that 12
percent of baby boomers earn extra money on the side. So this is a trend that
cuts across all ages and stages.

Q: How do you balance your own job, family, and side
business?

A: I prioritize my family, of course, and then I focus on my
job during the day and I fit my side-business into the extra snippets of time I
can find in the evenings and weekends.

Most importantly, I chose a side business -- selling digital
money planners on Etsy -- that works with my life. While I have to invest a lot
of time on the front-end, designing the planners and marketing them, I can then
just let the shop run itself. Each time someone makes a purchase, they
automatically get access to the PDF - I don't have to do anything else. So in
that way, my business really fits into my life.

Q: What surprised you the most in the course of researching
your book?

A: How incredibly satisfying it can be to launch a side
business. I started out focused on the financial security aspect -- launching a
side business to generate more money.

But what I found for myself and the 100 people I interviewed
is that the money often takes a back seat to the new and powerful identity that
comes from going into business for yourself. To create something that others
buy and find useful is so empowering. You know you are helping others, even if
it's in a small way.

Q: Do you expect the number of people with side businesses
to rise in coming years?

A: Absolutely. I think this is one of the biggest trends of
our time in terms of the workplace. And workplaces are adapting, too, to allow
and even encourage their employees' side businesses, because it often benefits
them, too.

That's because people are picking up new skills on their own
time and then applying them to their day jobs, too. They're also happier
employees because they're more fulfilled and more financially secure.

Q: Are you working on another book?

A: Not quite yet -- I've been focusing on growing my
Etsy shop, which is so much fun.

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: If you have an idea for a side business, consider getting
started now! There are such powerful and easy to use e-commerce platforms out
there now, from Etsy to Fiverr to Elance, that make it so easy to get started.

About Me

Author, THE PRESIDENT AND ME: GEORGE WASHINGTON AND THE MAGIC HAT, new children's book (Schiffer, 2016). Co-author, with Marvin Kalb, of HAUNTING LEGACY: VIETNAM AND THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY FROM FORD TO OBAMA (Brookings Institution Press, 2011).